April 20, 2017 8:41pm EDTApril 20, 2017 8:40pm EDTBaseball, MLB, English, Miami MarlinsThe late Marlins pitcher had cocaine and alcohol in his system when he crashed his boat in September, killing himself and two friends.Jose Fernandez(Getty Images)

The Marlins have plans to unveil a "larger than life" statue of late pitcher Jose Fernandez in the fall at Marlins Park, but some are unhappy about the commission.

Protesters say erecting the statue sends the wrong message to the public about operating motor vehicles while impaired, and they don't want the team to go through with the statue.

"I just think we have to be very careful about hinting and memorializing a person who would've been charged with two counts of manslaughter had he survived," Mothers Against Drunk Driving advocate Sally Matson said, via NBC Miami. "We can't condone the drinking and drugged driving.”

Fernandez and two friends died in a boating accident in September and the Marlins pitcher was recently deemed at fault for the accident. Investigators said he was driving the boat and speeding, and toxicology reports determined cocaine and a high level of alcohol were in his system at the time of the crash.

Marlins president David Samson said the organization still plans on going through with building the 9-foot statue, saying a person's legacy shouldn't be built on their transgressions.

"People make mistakes, mistakes have consequences but it doesn't change what Jose meant to the Marlins, what he meant to Miami, what he meant to the community," Samson said. "The fact is he will always be a Marlin that doesn't change. When you love somebody you love them when things are good and when things are bad."